A Father, A Son, and A Pirate
by IfIWereANerd
Summary: Anyone else curious to see Neal's reaction when he finally discovers that the reason Hook wants revenge on Rumpelstiltskin is because he killed his mother? Here's how that scene might go.


Hook sputtered awake with a cold splash, his face dripping. He tense, and knew immediately that he was bound to the chair in which he sat. Blinking back cool droplets, he shook his head to rid it of some of the dampness and looked up again. A familiar lovely, though not particularly friendly, face looked back at him. He grinned.

"This really is becoming a much larger trend with you, love," he said in his suave accent, licking his lips. "I can't say I don't find it enticing."

Emma just barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. As she stood straighter, the rest of the room came into focus behind her. His enemy lay on the sofa, clearly suffering from the wound Hook had dealt him, while a man around Emma's age sat leaning over him. A small boy stood at the edge of the room, watching him with large, innocent brown eyes.

"You must be Henry," he said, bowing his head in greeting. "I've heard a lot about you from your mum, here. She nearly fed me to a giant so she could get back to you." He swiveled to look at the man on the couch. "Peter," he said. "I see you finally grew up. I didn't expect to see you over here. I can't say it's a pleasant surprise."

"I go by Neal here."

"I don't much give a damn what you go by anywhere. And you," he said, turning his attention menacingly to the wheezing Gold on the sofa. "You just won't die, no matter how many times I try and kill you."

"What was on your hook?" Emma asked him firmly.

"Why don't you come over here and feel for yourself?" Hook said suggestively.

"This isn't a game," Neal said, standing from his perch on the sofa and striding over, placing himself in front of Emma. He put one hand on each of the arms of Hooks chair and leaned forward, his face inches from the pirate. "I know you poisoned your hook before you stabbed him. Tell me with what, and how we can stop the poison."

"Or, we can just let the murderous bastard die," Hook challenged him.

Neal brought a clenched fist up high and swung it down forcefully into Hooks face. The chair he was bound to rocked dangerously with the power of the blow, but Neal caught the chair and slammed it back down again to face him.

"What poison did you use!" he screamed.

"Neal, not in front of Henry!" Emma warned, sweeping him aside. She herself towered over Hook, a bruise now forming on his cheek. "Look, I know he killed your love, Sheila…"

"Her name was Milah," Hook told her, glowering. "And he tore her heart out of her chest and crushed it right in front of me."

"Milah?" Neal paled as the room turned their eyes to him. "He killed…" He looked disbelieving at his father, squinting. "You killed Mom?" he croaked.

The room hung in a stunned silence after the accusation. Emma's mouth nearly dropped, her heart pounding as she put all of this together. Hook had stolen Gold's wife. Neal was Gold's son. That could only mean that Hook's true love had been…

"You're her son?" Hook said, his jaw hanging low. But Neal was paying Hook no mind.

"You told me Mom died," he said slowly, advancing across the room towards his father on the couch.

"She did," he choked, his body still racked with poison.

"No, you told me she died when I was eight," Neal clarified. "Did she die when I was eight?"

Gold did not respond, and in his silence was the answer Neal sought. He brought his hands to his mouth.

"She was still alive?" The question was almost asked just to himself.

"She left us," Gold gave by way of explanation. "She left you to run off with this pirate."

"When I fell through the portal, was she still alive?!" Neal insisted.

"Yes," Gold admitted.

"And then you killed her?"

"Oh, he killed her alright," Hook spat from where he sat, fettered to his chair. "Tore her heart from her chest and crushed it to dust."

"I want to hear it from your mouth," Neal thundered. "Did you kill my mother?"

Another tense silence hung in the air, the longest so far. Neal would not take his eyes from his father, who was trying desperately with what little of his mind was not absorbed by the poison to find some way of answer while not devastating his son. In the end, he could think of nothing, so he closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.

"Yes."

Emma watched Neal for a reaction, but at first, there almost seemed none, save the release of a long, slow breath. But Emma had known Neal well. Maybe she hadn't known him long, and maybe it had been a long time ago, but she knew when he was angry and she knew when he was sad, and right now he was at the extreme of both. He was furious and he was devastated. She could not blame him, but that was not a good combination.

"Henry, go wait in the hallway," Emma said.

"No," Henry responded, in a quiet but firm voice.

"Henry, I said go!" But Henry stayed where he was, and Emma felt at a complete loss. Neal stood still in the center of the room for a moment, then he turned and walked towards Hook again, bringing his face within inches of the pirate's.

"Tell us how to stop the poison," he said threw gritted teeth.

"Not a chance, mate," Hook bit back quietly. "He dies, and we both get revenge."

"Oh no, he's gonna live," Neal told him, a quiet rage pulsing through him. "He's going to live a very long life. An immortal life, even, and in all those long days and months and years of that long life, all he is going to have to think about is how he will never, ever, ever see his son again. That's our revenge. Now you tell her how to fix it." He pointed at Emma. She raised her eyebrows at him as he continued. "I know you know how to get people to talk, I've seen you do it before. I need to go for a walk."

"Take Henry with you," Emma said.

"I need to be alone," Neal said flourishing his hand as he grabbed his jacket. Emma crossed the room as he did so and put a hand lightly on his chest to stop him.

"You know what I'm going to have to do to get it out of him. I don't want Henry to see that," she whispered desperately, leaning close to him. Neal froze for a moment and caught her eye. He nodded curtly, then turned to his son.

"What do you say, kid?" he asked, and although he was not able to pull any kind of smile, he was at least able to allow the rage to slip from his voice as he turned to his terrified son. "Want to go for a walk with me?"

Henry's eyes were wide, and he stood meekly in the wake of the situation. At first, he seemed unsure. He looked at his mother, who nodded silently, and then he nodded and came forward as well. Emma watched the two leave the apartment, Neal not bothering to look back at his father wheezing on the sofa. Only when she had heard the door latch did she turned slowly back to Hook, who had a mischievous grin on his face.

"Well, Ms. Swan, shall we get this party started?"


End file.
